TROLLINGER TAKES OVER PENDLETON-BASED UNIT

CAMP PENDLETON 
Col. Matthew Trollinger took command Thursday of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, one of three based at Camp Pendleton that deploy on Navy amphibious assault ships to the Western Pacific, Middle East and Horn of Africa.

The new commanding officer replaced Maj. Michael Estes, who “oversaw daily operations and guided the unit for seven months, an unprecedented tour for a major,” the Marine Corps said in a release.

Estes is returning to his original assignment after transferring to the unit in July 2012 as operations officer. He had been promoted to executive officer in September, replacing the previous second-in-command, Lt. Col. M.P. Wylie, who briefly filled the top job before moving on to another assignment.

Wylie, an Iraq War veteran and recipient of the Bronze Star with combat distinguished device, has since been selected for colonel.

“It was hard to mess up,” said Estes of his stint as commanding officer in charge of the 11th MEU, according to Marine Lance Cpl. Demetrius Morgan. “I was dealt a winning hand with the personnel I was given. The number of accolades that this unit has earned during my time is impressive and there have been some big ones.”

Estes served in Iraq as a company commander with 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment; earned a master’s degree in National Security Affairs from the Naval Postgraduate School; studied Tagalog at the Defense Foreign Language Institute; served at the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Philippines, as a joint operations planner; and was a counterinsurgency adviser in Afghanistan in 2011.

Trollinger previously served as the military assistant to the deputy undersecretary of the Navy for plans, policy, oversight and integration.